The Moon Pool never stayed still for Zanya.
Not truly.
Even when the surface lay calm, she could feel layers beneath it—currents folding inward, gravity bending subtly downward.
It was there one night, under a thinning moon, that she slipped beneath the water and let herself sink past the familiar cavern shelf.
And this time, the water opened.
A narrow tunnel revealed itself beneath the Pool's basin, hidden behind stone that shimmered faintly once her Saltborn resonance brushed it. Coral peeled back like a curtain, revealing a passage that should not have existed.
Her heart thudded.
"This was sealed," she whispered.
The tunnel descended sharply, splitting into branching paths almost immediately—too many, too fast.
[COMPLEX SUBTERRANEAN NETWORK DETECTED]
[Navigation Difficulty: EXTREME]
Zanya grimaced. Even with her enhanced senses, Mako's tunnels were a maze designed to disorient. That felt intentional.
The System chimed again, helpful as ever.
[ACTION SUGGESTED — Navigation Aid Available]
[Labyrinth — Illusion Guidance Suite (Basic)]
She didn't hesitate.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[Labyrinth — Illusion Guidance Suite (Basic)]
[Cost: 2,800 SC]
The moment it activated, the water shimmered.
Faint, translucent sigils overlaid her vision—not false paths, but probability echoes. Corridors glowed in soft hues, indicating stability, danger, or looping illusions meant to trap explorers. The tunnels didn't change—but her perception did.
[Effect: Enhances spatial awareness in illusion-warped environments]
"Oh," Zanya breathed. "That's better."
She swam forward
As she followed the safest path, the walls shifted again. The stone here was older—smoothed not by erosion, but by design. Coral structures reinforced arches, each etched with symbols that pulsed gently as she passed.
[ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE — ATLANTEAN MARKERS DETECTED]
These weren't the whispering glyphs she'd seen before.
These were directional.
Some glowed when she approached, others dimmed, guiding her deeper—or warning her away. One symbol flared briefly when her Song of Calm resonated through the water, then faded.
Permission denied.
"Not yet," she murmured again.
But something else stirred.
Not Atlantis.
Below it.
The Dragon's presence surged faintly, exhaustion pressing through her chest like borrowed pain. She felt the chains again—clearer now—anchored far deeper than the tunnels themselves.
She needed more than instinct.
She needed connection.
The System responded instantly.
[ACTION AVAILABLE — Voltron Astral Synchronization]
[Option: Astral Bond (Non-Combat, Resonance-Based)]
Zanya inhaled slowly.
"This isn't a weapon," she said. "It's a bridge."
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED — Voltron Astral Bond]
[Cost: 4,500 SC]
The effect was immediate—and overwhelming.
Light fractured across the water. Lines of resonance wrapped around her Saltborn soul, extending downward like threads of starlight sinking into the deep.
And something answered.
The Sea Dragon's presence surged—not loud, not violent, but relieved. His voice didn't echo anymore.
It rested against her awareness.
"Mine… saltborn…"
"…so tired…"
She gasped as emotion flooded her chest.
Age. Isolation. Pain sharpened by lunar cycles and restrained by ancient seals. She could see him now—not clearly, but enough to know this:
The chains were Atlantean.
Not punishment.
Containment.
[ASTRAL LINK ESTABLISHED — SEA DRAGON]
[Bond Status: Stabilizing]
[Effect: Enhanced empathic perception; improved resonance clarity]
Zanya steadied herself, Song of Calm humming low as the bond settled. The tunnels around her reacted subtly—markers pulsing once, as if acknowledging the shift.
Atlantis had noticed again.
But this time, so had the Dragon.
She turned back toward the Moon Pool, mind racing. She wasn't ready to go deeper yet—not without answers, not without preparation.
But she had paths now.
Guidance.
And a bond that would not let her walk away.
Above, moonlight filtered down through the water.
Below, ancient systems waited to see what she would choose.